The Free Throw: Basketball technique, drills and fixes

The free throw is an unguarded set shot from a fixed line (in the NBA, 15 feet from the face of the backboard), so it is the best place to groove your shooting form. What separates good free-throw shooters is a routine you repeat in the same order every time, plus calm, controlled mechanics. From the side, the app reads your routine consistency, leg drive, elbow alignment and held follow-through across attempts. It can't see whether the shot goes in.

Set a consistent routine

Wait a few feet behind the line until you get the ball, then step to the exact same spot every time. Use the small mark at the middle of the line and set your shooting foot just to the shooting-hand side of it. Line up the ball, not your head, with the middle of the basket.

same spot, same stance, every trip to the line.

Bounce the ball your set number of times with your shooting hand on top. That way the hand is already facing the basket when you set the ball. Find the same grip each time, for example index finger lined up with the valve.

the ball lands in your hand the same way every shot.

Take one deep breath, exhale fully and let your shoulders drop. Loosen your arms, hands and fingers. Do the parts of your routine in the same order every time. The order matters more than how many seconds it takes.

loose shoulders, no tension in the hands.

Load and aim

Set up balanced with the ball high in front of your shooting shoulder, elbow in under the ball, guide hand light on the side. Check the elbow before every shot. The guide hand steadies, it never pushes.

set hands, elbow under the ball.

Lock your eyes on a target just over the front of the rim and keep them there through the whole shot. Picture the ball going in just before you start.

eyes parked on the front rim.

Down and up, hold

Start the shot from the high ball and use a down-and-up of your legs for rhythm. Don't drop the ball low to get going. Keep the leg action smooth, not fast. In a lab study, better free-throw shooters straightened their knees more slowly and moved in a more controlled way.

legs and arm moving as one, unhurried.

Stay tall as you rise and release the ball up toward the target. Don't lean your chest toward the basket. The same study found better shooters had less forward trunk lean and released the ball higher relative to their height.

tall and up, not out.

Exaggerate the follow-through and hold your shooting arm up, eyes on the target, until the ball reaches the basket. Under NBA rules you may not step over the free-throw line until the ball touches the ring, so finish in place.

a frozen finish, arm high, still behind the line.

Feel it

A good free throw feels calm and identical to the last one: same spot, same bounces, same breath, then a smooth down-and-up and a held finish. Some shooters say a short trigger phrase in rhythm with the shot, such as 'legs, through, yes', to keep the tempo steady. Think controlled and tall rather than quick. In NBA playoff games, players made more free throws when they followed their usual routine sequence than when they changed it, while a shorter or longer routine made no difference. The app reads your routine consistency, leg drive, elbow alignment and follow-through across attempts. It can't verify makes.

Fix-its

Your routine changes shot to shot Write your routine down (spot, bounces, breath, target) and do it in the same order every time. Pick one and keep it. Don't copy a new routine every few weeks.
You're tense or rushing Stay a few feet behind the line until you get the ball. Breathe in deeply, exhale fully, and let the shoulders, arms and hands go loose before you set the ball.
You drop the ball and shoot with the arm Set the ball high and get your rhythm from the down-and-up of the legs instead of lowering the ball.
You lean toward the basket or step over the line Rise straight up, chest tall, and finish in place. Hold the follow-through until the ball reaches the rim before moving your feet.
You watch the ball or drop the finish Keep your eyes on the spot just over the front rim and hold the arm up until the ball gets there.

Drill

Routine reps: shoot sets of 10 free throws with your full routine on every shot. Shoot no more than two in a row before stepping off the line and coming back.
End-of-practice free throws: shoot your sets of 10 after other drills, when you're a bit tired, and picture a game-deciding shot before each one.
100-shot test: shoot 100, record your makes and your longest run of makes in a row. Try to beat your own numbers next time.
Eyes open, eyes closed: shoot 5 with eyes open, 5 with eyes closed, then 5 open again. A partner rebounds and tells you how the ball hit the rim.
Film 10 attempts from the side. Check that your routine, leg dip, elbow and held finish look the same on every rep.

By position

Every position shoots the same free throw, so the routine and mechanics don't change. If you get fouled a lot in your role, give free throws a regular slot in every practice.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-25.